Newspaper Prayers: Tuesday, August 1st

(Note: if you have access to the New York Times, the pictures of the devastation are striking.)

Days after the Iraqi government officially declared victory over the Islamic State in Mosul in July, the fighting was far from over.

Roughly the size of a block in Manhattan, the last ISIS holdout of the Old City did not seem like the kind of place where anyone could still be alive after weeks of brutal combat. But a few such areas kept up the fight for days. And — horribly, amazingly — civilians were still being pulled out.

The toll of the battle for Mosul on nearly every front — human rights, lives, property and Iraqi heritage — is only now starting to come into focus. As the last searches in the Old City wrap up, the almost unfathomable task of rebuilding the city and, somehow, coming to grips with all that happened here, stretches out ahead into the unknown.

Readings from Jeremiah 5.1-2 for Tuesday, August 1, 2017

What happens when an entire culture is corrupt? Could it be that the devastation of some countries is due to the inherent corruption of its citizens? I believe that is the case. In Jeremiah’s day the entire nation had turned away from their relationship with God. Even people who “talked a good game” with regard to God were discovered to be false in their supposed devotion.

Jeremiah 5.1-2 – Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look around and take note! Search its squares and see if you can find one person who acts justly and seeks truth— so that I may pardon Jerusalem. Although they say, “As the Lord lives,” yet they swear falsely.

The task of praying people is to intercede on behalf of our corrupt world, asking God to help us repent.

Prayers for Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Dear God, we pray for innocent suffering people around the world who are the victims of corrupt, powerful people.